THE KNOWLEDGE OF ABDULLAH, SON OF ABBAS


May Allah be pleased with them





Hayatus Sahabah by Muhadith Kandahlawi (Kandhelvi)


Rendered into current English


by 


Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish (Anne Stephens)


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Abbas was the son of Abu Talib and the uncle of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, however there was very little difference between their age. 





Although Abbas had not openly declared his acceptance to Islam until just before the Opening of Mecca he played an important and vital role in sending information and advance warnings of the pending attacks of the hostile tribe of Koraysh to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, in Medina.





Abbas and his wife Umm Fadl were blessed with a son whom they named Abdullah. When Abdullah was still an infant, the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, supplicated to Allah for the gift of knowledge with its deep understanding to be bestowed upon Abdullah. Allah blessed the supplication and even at an early age Abdullah displayed intelligence and understanding far beyond his age.





Such was the intensity and profoundness of Abdullah’s comprehension, application and knowledge of the explanation of the Koran, jurisprudence, lineage, the history of the Arabs and other sciences that Abdullah the son of Masood, who was one of the first generation and close Companions of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, commented, “Even if Abdullah, son of Abbas was our age, none of us would equal one tenth of his knowledge.” Abdullah’s knowledge was so extensive that he was known as an ocean of knowledge. The Companion Tawos was asked why he had attached himself to such a youngster rather than to one of the senior Companions, he replied. “Whenever a difference of opinion arose on any matter, I have seen seventy of the Companions, favor the opinion of Abdullah.” This opinion of Tawos was endorsed by Ubay son of Ka’b who declared, “This youth will soon become the most learned scholar of this nation.” 





Abdullah, himself spoke of his knowledge saying, “I used to seek the company of the senior Muhajarin and Ansar to ask about the battles in which the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, fought and the Revelations which were sent down relative to these battles. Whenever I went to any of these Companions they became overjoyed because I am related to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him.”





Despite his knowledge the young Abdullah was known to be a very tolerant young man and when an intricate matter arose, the Caliph Omar Al Khattab would send for him saying, “Be prepared, a very complicated problem needs your attention!” Omar would seek and accept Abdullah’s opinion even when he was in the company of elite Ansars and Muhajarins such as those who participated in the Battle of Badr and would always give precedence to Abdullah’s opinion over others.


 


The Companion, Abu Wa’il tells of the time he and his friend went on pilgrimage together when Abdullah had been elected to be its Amir and that he heard him recite then explain the meaning of the chapter An Nor. Abu Wa’ils friend exclaimed, “ Exalted is Allah, what great knowledge is emerging from this young man’s head! Even the Turks would accept Islam if they heard this.” In addition Abu Wa’il commented, “I have never seen or heard anyone speak as he does, even the Persians and Romans would accept Islam if they heard him.”





There was yet another occasion when Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, Mother of Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, made the pilgrimage to Mecca and observed a group of people gathered around Abdullah the son of Abbas who were asking him about the rites of Hajj and endorsed, “Of all the Companions who are still alive, he best knows the rites of Hajj.”





When Omar son of Al Khattab received a question from Ya’la Umayyah’s son of Yemen he asked Abdullah throw light upon the subject. After having given his answer, Omar declared, “I bear witness that you are certainly the most eligible to speak on behalf of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and his household.”





The Companion Ataa recalled the time when groups of people went to visit Abdullah. They inquired about a diversity of subjects including poetry, ancestry and battles. Each group was given their answer and their thirst for knowledge was satisfied. On other occasions he would be found solving problems relating to the laws of inheritance or even mathematics. It was an accepted and a well known fact that no one’s answer was more dependable than that of Abdullah. When it came to questions concerning previous scriptures Abdullah’s knowledge was never found to be lacking. 





It was the collective opinion of the Companions that none knew the hadith of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, or the verdicts of Caliphs Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman better than Abdullah.





When Abdullah passed away a great feeling of loss descended upon Abdullah’s contempories so much so that Jabir mournfully said, “The most knowledgeable and tolerant of all people has passed away. By his demise this nation has been afflicted with a calamity that can never be redressed.” Added to this statement of grief Rafi, son of Khudayj commented, “The peoples of the East and West were dependent for their knowledge upon the one who has passed away today.”